Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, pictured here in February 2009, has contracted swine flu, his publicist said Saturday, three days before the latest Potter blockbuster premieres in London. (AFP/DDP/File/Sebastian Willnow)

LONDON (AFP) – Actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, has contracted swine flu, his publicist said Saturday, three days before the latest Potter blockbuster premieres in London.

Grint took several days off filming the next movie in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", but is still expected to join co-stars on the red carpet for the launch of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Tuesday.

"It has just been confirmed that Rupert Grint has taken a few days out of filming due to a mild bout of swine flu," his publicist said in a statement.

"He has now recovered and is looking forward to joining his fellow cast members at the junket and premieres this week and will then return to filming directly afterwards."

She added that filming was not disrupted by the 20-year-old's absence.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens in most of Europe on July 15 and in the United States and Japan two days later.

Four people have died in Britain of swine flu, the A(H1N1) virus, and the country has Europe's highest number of reported cases with nearly 7,500.

The government warned this week that figure could rise to over 100,000 new cases a day by the end of August.